Highway 97 near Summerland to be closed briefly for blasting

People travelling Highway 97 on Friday should be prepared for some delays.

The highway will be closed from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Friday between Callan Road and Okanagan Lake Provincial Park north of Summerland, for blasting at the rockslide site.

“For the safety of workers, blasting must take place during daylight hours,” the Ministry of Transportation said. “The highway will be reopened as soon as the work and safety assessments are completed.”

2:12 Summerland Energy Centre officially opens

2:08 Caution urged on unpaved detours to avoid Highway 97 closure

Highway 97 will continue to support two lanes of traffic throughout the winter and a contractor will carry out regular maintenance to ensure these lanes remain open and safe for travel.

While drivers are encouraged to use Highway 97, a detour around the slide area on the 201 Forest Service Road will be maintained and remain open until further notice.

If using the detour route, drivers should be prepared with good winter tires, food, water and fuel.

The Ministry of Transportation said in a statement sent out at the time that the closure between Callan Road and Okanagan Lake Provincial Park, north of Summerland, left around 3,000 cubic metres of material on the highway.

“Rockfalls are a natural event, but the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s Rockwork Program uses a variety of techniques to keep rock and debris off highways,” the ministry said at the time.